Bummed

If somebody were to take the worst elements of 80's music (cheesy keys, gated drums, a dreadful moaning vocalist, all saturated in reverb and thinned waaaaay-the-fuck-out to a treble-y right hot mess) and mix it together, you'd have this album. Not for me.

The musical equivalent of licking doorknobs.

I'm uhhh .. really BUMMED this album is something I had to hear before I die

Sounds like what it is: mediocre, drug-addled, pop rock. Pretty boring, honestly. Ecstasy is not a good drug for making music, apparently.

I'm a sucker for psychedelia and funk. Throw in some electronic soon and I fall for it. Let's be fair. This is no Stone Roses. But it is still one of the defining albums of the short-lived Madchester movement, which became associated with early rave culture in the UK. And indeed you can dance to this. Now, a lot of people think it's dated. I personally don't get that vibe, and I think it holds more than as a product of its time. Did this album remind anyone else of Public Image Ltd? That being said, I do see many of the faults associated with the album. Maybe I have a twisted music taste, but I loved each of the tracks, each with a unique sound that kept things interesting. And that's enough for me to give it 4 stars. I don't have a favorite track, but Lazitis stood out for me (for sampling Ticket to Ride). Other tracks I really liked were Country Song, Mad Cyril, Performance, Brain Dead, Wrote for Luck, Do It Better, Hallelujah, and Rave On. That's half the album...

It wasn’t as good as ‘Pills n Thrills n Bellyaches’ but this album was useful to hear that blend of New Wave and electronic influences which became the Madchester sound. This album is heavily influenced by the talking heads, the smiths, and Lazyitis was very reminiscent of the Beatles’ Ticket to Ride. Overall a nice coherent transition album.

Unhappy Mondays is a more appropriate name for this group, and Bummed is how I feel after listening to them drone on and on. Apparently a lot drugs were used during the recording of this album, and under the influence of drugs is probably the best way to listen to this album.

I may have blacked out as soon as this album started and came to with what I assumed was the same song still playing 30 minutes later.

I enjoyed watching *24-Hour Party People* a lot. It was a film that was both hilarious and well-documented. But OK, once you had that good laugh at the movie version of the band, are you supposed to automatically become a fan of them? Some characters in the Sopranos make me laugh as well. Does that mean I should try to join the mafia? Let's just say that if I can appreciate the Happy Mondays "saga"--filled with drugs, stupid moves, and picturesque characters--that doesn't necessarily mean I'm a fan of their music. I even think that this band is probably one of the most overrated acts that has ever come out of Britain during the eighties. And I'm gonna tell you why now. I don't know if *Bummed* is their worst or "best" album, but frankly, why should I care? Everything supposedly "important" the Happy Mondays released is just a cheesefest sonically speaking anyway, not to mention a total bore songwriting-wise. Ecstasy-induced vocal meanderings over terribly linear tracks is not my idea of what a good song should sound like. And it's not my idea of a good time either, even if I'm in a quote-unquote "party mood". Worse, the nonsensical "arrangements" in those tracks make everything sound even *more* grating. And don't get me started on those horrid eighties gated drums... Now about the supposed critical status of this album, a little bit of translation for ya:  Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis said "almost 20 years on, Bummed sounds extraordinary, but wildly abstruse". Petridis has good taste, generally speaking, but here he's being overly polite. What he really means by "extraordinary" is that the album doesn't make a shred of sense. And what he means by "abstruse" is just that : "abstruse". Priya Elan of NME felt the album "actually dated best" out of all of the band's releases, despite Hannett's "raw production show[ing] the Madchester sound in its infancy" Translation: *Bummed* is not as *downright horrible* as other HM albums but it's still horrid nonetheless. "Dating best" within a discography doesn't necessarily mean "dating WELL". All Music's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised Hannett's production as "all smeared colors and harsh edges". Translation : it's a formless blob. He wrote that "decadence has rarely sounded as dangerous as it did in the hands of the Mondays". Er... Stephen, ever heard of a band called The Stooges? Or The Velvet Underground, maybe? It's probably a bit "niche" for you, i'll grant you that... Then Stephen describes the sound of the album as "stiff psychedelic funk". Is "stiff" your idea of a good time, Steve? And does such adjective go along well with the words "psychedelic" and "funk"? Later, Erlewine mentions  Ryder "spitting out rhymes", and then expanded on this, calling the album the "result of [a] copious intake of ecstasy". Okaaaay, then. Stephen's idea of a good time is to be bothered by a random drunk on X spitting on him at a dive bar. But to each their own, I guess. 🤷‍♂️ In other words, the critics know it's a pile of shit, but they sugarcoat it the best they can. In response, I can only show scorn at their obvious hypocrisy. 1 star for the purposes if this list, which translates to something around 3/10 or s/10 for more gneral purposes. (1+ whatever...). Next, *please*. Number of albums left to review: less than 400 (I've temporarily lost count here) Number of albums I'll include in my own list: half so far, approximately Number of albums I *might*  include: a quarter, approximately. Number of albums I'll never include: another quarter (including this one - many others are more important to me).

I had never heard of Happy Mondays and had zero expectations going in, but I really liked this album. It definitely sounds of a time, but in many ways sounds relevant today as well. Fat White Family seems like the closest modern contemporary. An unusual but catchy blend of dance and '80s pop rock, Bummed is great for repeat listens.

I could tell I was gonna hate this within the first 10 seconds and the feeling never went away

Woof. This was my second, and thankfully last Happy Mondays album on the list. I can't think of a single positive thing to say about this album. I didn't care for the vocals, lyrics, or music on this album. Nothing about this stood out to me at all, and it was a chore to get through. I'm really curious as to how either Happy Mondays album made it on this list.

I dropped out before the first song finished. This is rough.

Yeah I was pretty bummed when this came up. Terrible.

I’ve kept coming back to this album for more than 30 years. It’s a complete mess from start to finish and sounds like it was recorded in a club toilet. But it’s also great in its own shambolic way. Shaun Ryder sings out of tune like no one’s listening and there’s something of the everyman in that, he’s not trying to be a rock star. He’s also a great lyricist. The way he uses the rhythms of ordinary (often sweary) language to express meaning and match the melody is extraordinary. For example, the lines from ‘Wrote For Luck’ about his lack of education: ‘I’ve not been trained, I can sit and stand and beg and roll over, I don’t read I just guess’. Ryder isn’t book smart and he can barely sing, but he’s very good with words. He was awarded the NME Godlike Genius award in 2000, and I know they give the award every year but there really is something preternaturally gifted about Shaun Ryder that justifies the genius label. Best song: Wrote For Luck

It’s no pills and thrills but I suspect a few were had in the making.

Seeing the artist name, album title and cover, I excitedly prepared a night's worth of ex, a full bottle of lube and my favorite bum plug. Waited for Monday to roll around, called in sick to work, threw on "Country Song", and... this isn't bumming music... no one is getting bummed to this... it sure as hell isn't happy.. Song after song after song, the realization started to set in, that I grossly misinterpreted the theme of this album. I switched to Lady Gaga, Depeche Mode, Madonna, even Prince, anything to save the mood. But it was too late. The room stunk of limp synthesizer chords, winy British inflections and self-pity. My day was ruined. Dejected, I headed off to work. On my way, I lubed up the stairs in front of the old lady's house down the street, gave my happy pills to some school children, and left my bum plug on a drinking fountain in front of the center for the blind. This album ruined my day, and I was determined to ruin someone else's. Listen to it, and it will ruin yours.

Belanglos, langweilig, überflüssig - mir gehen in Bezug auf die Platten in dieser Liste, die besser nicht aufgenommen worden wären, langsam die Adjektive aus.

A big surprise how much I enjoyed this god damn!! I loved all the dance elements to this and ended up listening to all the bonus tracks and remixes on the deluxe version. also introduced me to paul oakenfold properly which is awesome, only knew him from a The Streets song reference lol

I feel like I had this idea years ago where you could mix punk and new wave styles with a psychedelic flow, but I never found something that hit its mark quite like this. Magazine by Magazine was pretty good, but it was more gothic than what I had in mind. This is a perfect blend of new wave and psychedelia. The lyrics are on point for a new wave album, but they are heavily based in psychedelic music in their tone. The cadence is very new wave, but the subjects range in a more psychedelic style than most new wave projects which I think is pretty daring. The instrumentation has a lot of contemporary aesthetics in the drums and guitars. The addition of the keys to be that 60s style is a choice that I really love since I can't get enough of that sound. Definitely a stranger album, but I think I will only like it more and more with age. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

weird sound but a few good songs

Great 80's brit pop. Somewhat nostalgic sounds with Beatles tunes and an INXS feel to it all.

This really scratched an itch for new wave-influenced music with a funk bent. I think I’m also partial to slightly out of tune British rock singers

Chaotic fun, perfect soundtrack to my late 80s life

Total revelation. Never heard of these guys before. Why????

I didn't expect this to be good and was pleasantly surprised. Started off strong with a little bit of a lull but most of this album was really good.

Groovy

Enjoyable and catchy. Very listenable even on first play.

Tym razem tak wyspiarsko undergroundowy albumik, ze az zwiazany z manchesterem, bo wedlug wiki jest to gatunek zwany madchester, a czym jest ten oblakany czester, wiec jest to muzyka z pogranicza funka roka, na ktora powstanie miala wspolczesna scena rave, wiec rok 88 muzyka elektro i mordownie ekstazowo lsdowe menczesteru, takie jest wlasnie tlo tego albumiku, juz nawet teraz slysze, ze ciekawie musi to brzmiec jeszcze pod wplywem psychoaktywnoych substancji, syntezatorowe noisy jak na moving in with daja ciekawe efekty, dobry odsluch, bo nie slyszalem jeszcze czegos podobnego, ozywienie psychodelicznego rokowania w nowej orginalnej postaci, tutaj syntezatory klawiszowe, a zaraz ktos na sitarce robi solowke, przy czym wokalista sobie gwizda na wszystko, doslownie, a co do wokalu, to nie jest to spiewanie wyczynowe a raczej spiewanie psychodeliczne, wiec tez dosc specyficzne, widoczne jest wykorzystanie substancji podczas tworzenia tej plyty, ale o dziwo nie ucierpiala na tym produkcja, bo albumik jest jakosciowy jesli chodzi o mastering, sprawdzam kto tam to mixowal, a to pan Martin Hannett od joy division, wiec swiatowej klasy producent, liczynie jest to zabawa w narkotyki, glowny motyw, na plejaka leci wrote for luck, brain dead i country song, jak bedzie okazja trzeba przesluchac jak wypada reszta dyskografii bandy, albo raczej ich lidera Ryderowego, bo widze, ze sporo stuffu pod innymi bandami rowniez tworzyl

I know this album is almost 40 years old, but the portrait on the cover really looks like Elon Musk.

It's hard to separate Happy Mondays' music from the lore surrounding the band, particularly the infamous stories around their fourth album, which helped bankrupt Factory Records. Based on Bummed, it's puzzling how they even made it to a fourth release, or how their much sharper, lauded third album followed just two years later. Normally, I'm drawn to leftfield releases, but Bummed feels like it's pushing boundaries simply for the sake of it. The production is disjointed, the jangly guitar choices are grating, and Shaun Ryder’s vocals—typically a highlight—lack the impact you’d expect. This sounds like a band throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, and that chaotic approach is evident throughout. Ultimately, Bummed is an unfocused experiment best left behind. Give it a miss.

The problem with ecstasy is that it convinces untalented people that they're making good music.

This one was terrible. I could've lived happy without hearing the awful production with all the reverb and atrocious singing. I hope the person that mixed this album was inexperienced or had a really bad day. No one could make it intentionally this dreadful.

I could have died happy never having hearing this. How it made this list I have no idea

This band is in my top 3 all-time favorite musical entities. If you find this to be utter garbage, allow me to explain. Happy Monday's represent the messy halfway point between the punk movement and full on-90's rave culture. Combining elements of post-punk, psychedelia, and the disco roots of electronic music, they belligerently caterwauled their way to the top of the zeitgeist. They represent the decadence of complete disconnection, which they fed into and nurtured through heavy cocktail of ecstasy, heroin, alcohol, and really whatever else they could get their hands on. I can't help but be charmed by them however, I mean what other band gives the most indulgent member of their friend group a couple of un-microphoned maracas and makes him an official band member? All because he's fun to be around and dances like a complete psycho? Happy Monday's, thats who. We're all on a nosedive, these blokes represent a subsection of the population who realize it, and are laughing with their pants off, all the way down. Their keyboard player couldn't play keyboards, their singer couldn't sing, their maraca player didn't do shit except get himself and everyone around him out of their minds on harder and harder drugs. The thing is, is that people that are really high like a good groove, and the Monday's were savvy enough to land on one thunderously good groove after the next. You add onto that the lyrical nihilism of Shaun William Ryder and you have the ingredients for what the Monday's did best: anthems for the alienated. It didn't matter that he couldn't sing, in fact, it was better that he couldn't. He gave a voice the those that were pushed to the breaking point by polite society and just wanted to yell. "Bummed" does not reach the caliber of their cultural high water mark, which goes to "Pills, Thrills, & Bellyaches", but it'll do you one better- it's got "Wrote For Luck" on it, one of their best and most quintessential songs. Reading Ryder's autobiography, he's revealed it's one of his proudest moments as a songwriter. For all the uneducated, across the tracks, utterly shitfaced buffoonery this man is known for, he's actually quite clever. And as history has shown us again and again, turn your nose up high enough and the underestimated ones find their way to the top.

Pure genius. It combines genres from country to dance and indie rock, with quasi non-sensical lyrics. It shouldn’t work and yet it does. This is proof that musical training isn’t necessary, especially when drugs are available. Shame they were such fuck ups…

1988 what a great year for discovering new music, with the Happy Mondays being one of the acts. I remember playing this to my unsuspecting colleagues, I loved it, they hated it, they loved Metal. They said nothing would come of the crap I listened to. A few years later I was redeemed. Well luckily for the world, Vince Clarke liked them enough to really launch their career with the remix of ‘Wrote for Luck’ and the rest is history. This is my favourite Mondays LP by a long way. A true masterpiece of Manchester sound. ‘Performance’ is a one hell of a song, but the album as a whole is pretty much perfect.

Love the Mondays

Mad

I don't think I've heard this band. I'm sure I would have passed right over this album if I saw it in the record store. The cover reminds me of Billie Holiday, just close up done in chalk. Solid late 80's new wave.

É como se o Clash e o New Order tivessem um filho.

Я послушал этот альбом сегодня вечером, с 9 до 10 часов. Я гулял по освещенным улицам города и изначально мое настроение было не очень хорошее, но я взял себе банку пива и хорошо прогулялся, слушая его. Весь этот альбом - будто ты сидишь за столиком около сцены и медленно попиваешь, слушая расслабленно-возбужденных музыкантов. Погружение в магию звуков, сливающихся воедино невероятным потоком, истинное наслаждение. Больше всего мне понравились эти песни: Hallelujah, создающая атмосферу всепоглащающего клуба, country song, каа прекрасное начало альбома, сразу цепляющая, moving in with, продолжающая дарить опьяняющее наслаждение и lazyitis, сыгранная с использованием, мне кажется, ситары, риф которой запомнится мне надолго и прямо сейчас играющий в голове. Мне просто хорошо, я прекрасно провел время благодаря этому альбому.

Ayyy Bez was on Pimp My Ride UK, cool guy

Wicked!

This was way better than I expected, despite the shitty prod and mix.

Kamalt El Hadra Ethenya M 3l Bouheli Mte3 Dostoevsky. I'm Better, Ahmed Still Needs Help. I'm Still Waiting For Calls

idk yet

Nick was loving it!

I'm a sucker for psychedelic rock and danceable electronic music and I like the short-lived madchester music scene of the late 80s and early 90s. 'Bummed' is one of the most well known albums from that era. It's fun and doesn't take itself seriously, all the songs has something interesting in it. It's just pure chaos from start to end, and the ecstasy influence is clear (it makes the singing a bit tiring towards the end of the album). Wrote For Luck is definitely the song that stands out the most. Overall I prefer 'Pills and Thrills...' from the early 90s but this is also a good album.

Bummed is pure, messy, late-80s Manchester chaos—equal parts sleaze, swagger, and genius. It’s not an easy album to love on first listen, but once you tune into its shuffling, drugged-out rhythm and Shaun Ryder’s surreal mumblings, it clicks into something strangely hypnotic. The grooves are deep and grimy, with loose funk and post-punk riffs held together by just the right amount of acid house weirdness. It’s an album that shouldn’t work as well as it does, but there’s an undeniable charm in the madness. Producer Martin Hannett gives everything a foggy, haunted-space feel, while the band stumbles through songs like Wrote for Luck and Mad Cyril with irresistible confidence. Bummed is grubby, chaotic, and strangely brilliant—a true Madchester milestone.

Cool

Pretty fun eclectic mix of songs! Wasn't convinced at the start, but came around on it as the album progressed.

Every band needs it's own special chemistry. And Bez was a very good chemist" - Anthony H Wilson

smh there are two happy mondays albums on this list and neither of them are their floptastic debut record produced by john cale which means i can’t go on a tangent about john cale producing them and what a miserable experience it was for everyone involved here in my review. and yet somehow i managed it anyway…my mind! anyway my first instinct is to make fun of this band cos they are famously so dumb but the joke is on me cos i liked this a lot. that jangly melody is typical of sooooo much indie rock (especially in america) in the 90s and 2000s that it kinda shocked me to remember this record came out in 1988. there are still so many bands that are trying to sound exactly like this—what makes it better is that FAT bass line throughout. tbh it sounds a lot like thinking fellers so it tracks that i like it so much. fav tracks: country song; moving in with; fat lady wrestlers

i really liked this!! it reminded me a bit of the fall album which i also really liked. idk this was just kinda weird and catchy and fun. i listened while i did a puzzle and it was amazing

I WILL TAKE HAPPY MONDAYS ANY DAY OF THE WEEK

Very out there for the times, but sounds very typical 80's. It kind of bridges the gap between psychedelic rock/dark wave/funk/post-punk. These guys were clearly doing a lot of drugs.

The apogee of the Mondays - weird, wobbly, paranoid, slippery, spaced out and spacious. Amazing that they built a stadium-filling career on this difficult music. On the expanded edition, the many luxurious 12" mixes open up the sound and give it all space to expand and take over.

I don't know whether I would have payed much attention to this after first listen if it hadn't been for Pills n Thrills, which is a groundbreaking UK indie album. I wasn't grabbed by this, it seemed a bit of a shambles and the original production was "terrible". Though the remix is slightly better it's still far too reverbed and sparce. This could have been so much better with decent production. But it is a great album, it's got all the groundwork of Pills without the polish. They were a band fusing dance and indie and guitars and attitude and they had a singer that sounds like a rock singer but has the most incredible way with words. The late 80s/early 90s golden era of British indie was my university days and this band were absoultely pivotal to that. It was, though, one of those albums that when it came up I thought "the Yanks are going to absolutely hate this" so British and so of a moment this is. Oh, and Wrote for Luck is one of the greatest songs ever released and on the back of this The Mondays came out with Hallelujah. Double Double good.

Quite liked this would like to listen again more attentively 7/10

Cool post punky stuff.

Period defining

Enjoyable - don't think I've listened to this in full before, and it's aged well.

I have a soft spot for factory records after watching 24hr Party People

4 stars

Never really transcends or fully takes off though "Lazyitis" and ""Brain Dead" are pretty strong. "Hallelujah" is much better in club mix. Blatant rip-offs of Beatles and O'jays, (though latter could generously be called a sample, one supposes) are a bit much, too, and show limits of what these guys could do, which seems like not much relative to their accolades, obviously. Production is pretty terrible too – among the worst on the list. The remaster sounds flat and distant and muddle all at once – could the originals have been any worse, really? Editors seem to knock Stone Roses to glorify these guys -- come on, now. Rounding up because God loves a drunk (or at least looked out for these ones).

79/100. A good-sounding alternative rock record. Nothing groundbreaking, but definitely a fun listen.

Happy Mondays may have been my favourite band for a short while in the early 90s, but that was basically down to pills and thrills plus Hallelujah from this. I was very young and I'd never heard this record. Not even sure I knew an earlier album existed. I'd seen Madchester Rave On 12"s knocking about people's older brother's record collection, that's it. Standing out with it's multicoloured lettering on a black background. Had a great time listening to the club remixes afterwards. If you're listening to the Hallelujah with the high pitched Hallelujah sting in it, you're listening to the banger. Although the album version with the scrawling guitar solo is pretty ace too. Oh yeah, and the re-released dance remix of Wrote For Luck (wfl) ohoh, ho. Yeah that was a banger. The Vince Clarke one. Probably had that on one of those Indie top 20 vinyls. For all intents and purposes, The Mondays WERE Madchester. Hailing as they did, not from Manchester but nearby Salford, my manor. So there's a heavy dose of nostalgia there for me. Great to hear such a different sound from them. Yep, Talking Heads, yep, The Fall, yep, lots of drugs. The actual record ends with Lazy itis, but I don't care, I'm including Rave On EP. Thumbs up.

Well now this was a bit of a surprise. I actually liked it. Didn't expect to, but yeah it was very good especially Mad Cyril and Rave On. I certainly would baulk at parting with money for it. Definitely worth a 4

“Rock band does ecstasy and makes a psychedelic record” is such a trope but it almost always hits. This is a great example. I love how rough it is. It feels like constrained chaos.

Solid album. I guess this is what people raved to in the 80s. I heard some Oasis in this. There's another album from this genre by the band Flowered Up that I really liked. Otherwise I really don't know much about this whole scene.

I am really surprised by how much I enjoyed this album. It was like Devo on ecstasy. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5

Likably loose and raffish, vaguely Stones-like in that sense, with some plus-pleasurable moments and vibes, but no songs that take off or fully captivate. Much better – hookier, more compelling – was to come. Rounding up for that reason, to a very soft 4.

Headlong into #day34 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge... Or, rather headlong in slow motion because it's all about the vibe here. Happy Mondays... Even though I prefer Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches (the 2020 UK & EU vinyl reissue slams hard, by the way), I find Bummed to be an essential document of the Madchester era. It's nothing short of psychedelic, funky, ecstasy-driven sonic sluggishness. Agreed, it's not The Stone Roses or New Order circa Technique (and it shouldn't be), but there's something about the laid-back goofy nature of this record that you can't resist. Can you? I'm giving it a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day35.

The guitar and especially the bass in this album is great and definitely the highlight! Everything else is not quite as good but still quality. Definitely an 80s feel with this album and it works well. Enjoyed and would listen to again.

i didn’t have particularly high expectations going into this album, having skimmed through the wikipedia page, but i was pleasantly surprised. it’s psychedelic sound, with prominent vocals, and simple yet effective riffs appealed to me, with each track being quite different from the one before. this early happy mondays work is, to me, quite different than any other britpop band releasing music at the time, something which i find quite refreshing. although i personally enjoy this sound a lot, i can imagine it’s possibly a “love or hate” situation, and only works for some people

Bam! Nice one oida!

Enjoyed the vibe, even if it was a little generic.

groovy

Excellent stuff

Bummed Happy Mondays definitely feel like a vibes band, a superb best of/greatest hits band rather than an albums band, so I’ve never really dived into their catalog, apart from listening to Thrills, Pills and Bellyaches a few times. I do love a lot of their songs though. Mad Cyril, Wrote for Luck and Lazyitis I’m pretty familiar with from the best of. Mad Cyril is very good, but Wrote for Luck I love, great groove, excellent song. Lazyitis is great as well, I guess they had to credit Lennon and McCartneyfor the nick. I’d never really made the connection before but I hear a lot of Talking Heads in this, which makes sense, both coming at a kind of white funk from a punk/new wave/diy angle. Country Song in particular feels very inspired by TH, I presume by The Big Country from More Songs about Buildings and Food. Just read Country Song was originally titled Some Cunt from Preston, as rhyming slang for Country and Western. Superb. The sound/production really grew on me with repeated listens. It sounds a bit smudged and spacey on first listen but I realised it really compliments the songs and the overall of vibe of wooziness and blurring of funk, punk, pop and house music. I do love his lyrics, they are very funny. Non sequiturs and dry observations mixed with a sense of humour is a great combo. It may be a bit patchy in places and feels like it might fall apart any second, but It’s such a fun listen, it’s got such a winning energy and that precariousness actually works in it’s favour, a bit like Exile era Stones. 4 may be high but its such an enjoyable listen it feels churlish to be parsimonious. Great stuff. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stupidly enough I only listened to their Pills Thrills and Bellyaches, 100s of times. This one is almost as brilliant. Love the Manchester scene.

4/5. Ethereal and drug-filled, these songs create a great atmosphere. It feels like I am falling through a dream but it's not scary, but there is an existential dread through it all despite the upbeat major chords. Although it kind of flows all together, the jamming riffs and repetitive drums drowned in reverb and acid makes it actually sounds unique amongst the British rock-alikes. It's a good album to listen to front to back filling your ears with ecstasy. Best Song: Moving In With, Wrote For Luck, Country Song

This was an interesting listen. Another band I never heard of and probably should have. Fan of the era and would have probably followed for awhile.

Lekker hoor, wel beetje achtergrond muziek. Deuntjes blijven lang hetzelfde, maar prima tijdens het studeren

spacey Ken deze hele band ook niet Ja nice ik ben fan skrrtttt

Red volvo gem in there

I went into this with zero expectations. Into the first couple of songs I wasn't digging it, but after a while it strangely started to grow one me. It has a bit of "The Top" era The Cure in it along with some of The Fall's snark. Infectious in an indescribable way.

Weird, bit in a really good way. The music NFS lyrics are unique

Interesting listen, I enjoyed several of the songs and was intrigued by the mixture of "samples" or riffs from popular music like The Beatles and other much larger groups. Thourougly intrigued indeed. Good stuff.

favourite song: wrote for luck really enjoyed this but certainly not my favourite happy mondays album

Lekker Brits, ik ga dit wat vaker luisteren

so almost a 5!!

I first discovered Happy Mondays about a year and a half ago from this list with the album "Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches." It's become one of my favorites from 1001 Albums and as a result I started listening to this album too. I love the energy of this album. It's perfect for hyping yourself up before you go out or for rocking out while cooking. The music has such a cool style -- a little dance-y, a little druggy, a little chaotic, the drums are reverbed to the the max and the leader singer sounds absolutely wasted on every song -- I can't get enough of it. All of the layers in the songs make them sound huge. This is music that fills a room. I love the Beatles interpolation on "Lazyitis” too. 4.5

MH 1990, aðeins fyrir mína tíð. Missti alveg af þessu og veit ekkert hvernig ég hefði tekið á málinu sem stjórnandi á þessum tíma. Söngurinn er meh, en seiðandi taktur og endurtekin stef eru góð. Afar mikið reverb og smá echo skapa merkilega mikið pláss í lögunum. Bland í poka, en oft gaman.

Good tunes. It reminded me of INXS throughout it. It doesn't end how it started.

Solid post new wave, pre shoe gazer.

Makes me want to try ecstacy.

I liked this more than I remember liking it.

Being at the center of the universe always helps and, in the case of Happy Mondays, Manchester in 1988 was just the perfect place to be bummed. They just so happen to not only be on time but also rather early to the party and it shows with how uproarious and delightfully delirious the album sounds. This can take you by surprise if you let it, because it is awfully fun to have happen. Favorites: Moving in With, Mad Cyril, Fat Lady Wrestlers, Performance, Brain Dead, Wrote for Luck, Bring a Friend.